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The mum-of-three told Mirror.co.uk: "2013 had been a bad year for me as I got married and split within five months, so health wasn't at the front of my mind.

"When I finally got to the local clinic for a health check in September 2014 they asked if I wanted my smear done at the same time as I was a year late in having it."

Vicki had the test done and said she thought little of it until a week later when she received a letter saying she had high grade dysplasia and asking her to go for a colposcopy.

The results came back as abnormal and a further investigation was required.

"Two weeks had gone by and I had no results through," she said. "I had a few tell tale signs things were not right as I had a little bleeding between my periods or after intercourse, but I kept convincing myself it was nothing but a water infection and I was being paranoid.

"I couldn't wait any longer for my results so I took myself over to the hospital and demanded them.

Vicki Cristofis has had to undergo a full hysterectomy after her diagnosis (Image: Vicki Cristofis)

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The other option was to try radiotherapy and have her cervix removed but this would mean the chances of having a child would be slim because the womb may collapse.

"I was shocked. I was only 28. Even though I had three children, it meant that if I met anyone else I could no longer be a mother to their child.

"It was a hard but simple choice. I was having this hysterectomy and living for the three children I had already."

She underwent the full hysterectomy, which took four and a half hours, two months later at Sheffield Hallamshire hospital.

Vicki added: "It was slow recovery and I was in hospital for eight days, the pain was out this world but I had to remain strong for my children and had to be on my feet in record timing.

"My bladder of all things played up the most meaning I had the joy of a catheter for six weeks. It was awful but I had to adapt."

Vicki says she's thankful she had her three children young otherwise she not have been able to have any at all (Image: Vicki Cristofis)

In the months after her operation, Vicki took up a new healthy lifestyle and joined a gym to help improve the recovery.

"My physical health started to improve - I knew this was the best thing for a quick recovery, as it wasn't easy suffering depression and having to battle cancer."

She also set up her own campaign, Vicki's Right to Fight, in a bid to get the screening age lowered and to help raise awareness of cervical cancer.

Vicki said: "It's so important we get the age lowered from 25 as it was only my second smear test.

"What I struggle to understand is the government support working mums and encourage further education but they won't support getting smears lowered to 18?

"Statistics show the average age now of a parent in the UK is around 28.5, so if I didn't have my children early I wouldn't have been able to have any as I had my hysterectomy at 28."

Vicki has set up her own campaign Vicki's Right to Fight, to raise awareness for the disease (Image: Vicki Cristofis)

The government says the reason the smear test, known as liquid based cytology (LBC), is only offered to women over 25 is because changes in the cervix at a young age can lead to abnormal results that aren't necessarily a concern.

Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “Cervical cancer is extremely rare in women under 25, however it is vital that all women are symptom aware and visit their GP if they experience anything unusual happening with their body.

"Our research has shown too many women put up with symptoms, thinking they're normal and we need to turn this around.

"For those under 25 who present with symptoms such as abnormal bleeding, the most common symptom of cervical cancer, there is an NHS pathway for GP’s to follow which aims to result in a faster route to diagnosis."

He added that as a result of Jade Goody's battle with cervical cancer, doctors saw a huge increase in the number of women attending smear tests at the time but this has since tailed off.

"We are very concerned that her legacy is being forgotten and the number of women attending this potentially life saving test is going down with 1 in 4 women across the UK are not taking up their invitation.

"The cervical screening programme saves around 5,000 lives every year in the UK and we urge all eligible women to take up their invitation as soon as they receive it to reduce their risk of cervical cancer”.

Recent recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee mean that Scotland will be raising its screening age to 25 but also extending screening for women up to the age of 64.

To find out more about Vicki's campaign you can visit her Facebook or Twitter pages.